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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24421591">running [away from reason]</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/oh_no_what_plot/pseuds/oh_no_what_plot'>oh_no_what_plot</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Firebringer - Team StarKid, Starship - Team StarKid, The Solve It Squad - Tin Can Brothers</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, OR IS IT, Post-Apocalypse, Prompt Fic, Running, i don't know why this was created, or how, proofread by one (1) person, started semi-serious and idk what happened after that</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 06:48:29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,220</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24421591</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/oh_no_what_plot/pseuds/oh_no_what_plot</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>the dog is dead. the world has ended. these two events, in keith's opinion, are entirely unrelated.</p><p>today is different.</p><p>***</p><p>suffer.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>running [away from reason]</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>everyone else: we write fics on google docs<br/>me: i curse the whole world with them on ao3 :)</p><p>anyway sis deserves more fics and despite knowing i do not have good additions, i still have... additions. so here you go!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>For as long as he could remember, they had been running.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Of course, that wasn’t entirely true. He remembered high school vaguely, and chucking the dog into the river to drown, and the world ending so soon after that many had believed the dog was linked to the apocalypse. Keith knew that was bullshit. That dog was just a dog. If anything, an </span>
  <em>
    <span>annoying</span>
  </em>
  <span> dog, but a dog all the same.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anyway, they had been running. Everyone thought they were somehow responsible, or connected, just because Keith had been linked to the death of the dog, so here they were, driving through the wasteland for years. They’d tried to integrate again, and it had almost worked, but then they had blown it by accidentally bringing up the dog.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He really, </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>hated that dog.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>These days, they were staying in some kind of abandoned town, where a gang had taken pity on them and let them live in their inn. The weather was getting colder, and Scrags had suggested staying here until it warmed up, but they always had to be careful anyway. Who knew who could turn against them and force them to continue their running? Until then, they had joined the gang as a unit helping to keep the perimeter safe. </span>
  <em>
    <span>The Solve It Squadron</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Esther had chuckled, and was met with blank looks from most of he friends.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was 7:04 when Keith woke up, that very hot gang member in his bed, snoring. He’d heard Gwen mutter about how stupid this girl was, but Keith thought she was right on his level. Which was very high, of course. He looked at her for a few minutes, trying to think of a good line for when she awoke, but fell asleep before he had finished his thought.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At 10:23, he woke up properly. The girl beside him - February, he recalled - was humming to herself and combing her hair. What was his line again? Ah, he could wing it, he was a catch anyway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you a month because you’re one eleventh of my life?” he said suavely, and February giggled and turned around.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s clever, because my name is February, like the month! Oh, you’re so funny, Kevin!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Keith, but thanks.” He sent her a romantic smirk and fell off the bed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Later, at 11:29, they were all having brunch downstairs. Esther was discussing strategies to help the gang keep their land secure, and Gwen was glaring at February for some reason. Keith couldn’t tell why. From the looks of it, neither could February, because she was smiling and talking to a very depressed looking Bug.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where were you last night during the attack?” Taz said sharply, glaring at February and Keith and causing silence to fall on the table.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh no, the scary one</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Keith thought.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was in my room,” Keith said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So was I!” February exclaimed with that eternal enthusiasm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>However, Taz did not look satisfied with this explanation. “And </span>
  <em>
    <span>why</span>
  </em>
  <span> were you both in your rooms?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, no,” February giggled in that lovely way again, and Keith sighed with the air of one who really thinks they’re in love. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>I</span>
  </em>
  <span> was in </span>
  <em>
    <span>his</span>
  </em>
  <span> room too! You can be really ditzy sometimes, Taz!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith tuned out of the ensuing scene to stare at Gwen instead. Ah, women were hot.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At 15:17, he was holding a gun and staring out at the horizon. The rest of his friends were here too, talking about something Keith would forget anyway so why listen? He grinned and waved to February as she passed with her own friends. After a few minutes, his friends set off, so he followed them, looking out for any strangers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” Scrags said, looking directly at Keith. “Do not speak unless we say, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>do not shoot</span>
  </em>
  <span> unless we </span>
  <em>
    <span>explicitly tell you to</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a nod, Keith continued his walking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think we should check the Landing Area. Someone could be hiding there,” Gwen said, and Scrags sighed audibly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, it isn’t safe. How many times do we have to have this conversation?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Landing Area. The place where the apocalypse began, when the asteroid had hit and caused the clouds to gather. Keith couldn’t remember the details, no matter how many times Esther explained it to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At 15:58, they saw a group of people. Another gang. Enemies? The other gang started shooting, and there was yelling, so Keith joined in, mowing down their starving enemies. Something must have gone wrong, however, because somehow he found himself running down an alleyway, panting, hoping they weren’t following. Where was his team?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>16:09, and he was still running. By now, most of the shots had ceased, and Keith was slowly starting to realise things might have taken a turn for the worse. He was approaching the Landing Area, and there were shouts behind him as the other gang slowed down the closer</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Whatever he was doing was working, because at 16:12, Keith had shaken off his followers. He was entering the huge crater, still running, always running. There was a lot of smoke, and a few bodies and bricks laying around, but at least he wasn’t being fired at.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a shape in the distance. A starship? He approached cautiously, his head ringing from some kind of faint singing. At 16:15, he could see the outlines of a humanoid figure and something in its arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who are you?” he asked, more confused than ever before. “Why are you here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The figure turned, and Keith glimpsed silver and brown. “I am Chorn.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It began to sing again, suddenly serenading him with a beautiful song. He had no idea what it meant, but he was too fascinated and bewildered to say anything. He kept walking closer, in a daze.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At 16:19, he was close enough to it to see what was in its arms. His eyes widened and he gasped. “No… it can’t be…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cluebert glanced up from his perch in Chorn’s arms, somehow looking smug despite being a fucking dog. “That’s right.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can remove all of this very easily,” Chorn said, petting Cluebert. “Just show my lovely dog some respect.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith stared at Cluebert, who stared right back at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“All you need to say is that you love me,” Cluebert said, as if Keith hadn’t tried to kill him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I… no…” What the heck was this?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do it,” Cluebert whispered in that annoying way of his, and Chorn smiled and stroked his manky fur.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Taking a slow, deep breath, Keith shut his eyes and mentally prepared himself for the lie. “I… love… you, Cluebert.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a loud woof, and he opened his eyes to see Cluebert in his arms and that river before him again. The water rushed by, spraying on his shoes - and, oh, they were his high school shoes. He was right in the spot where he had been when he was about to throw Cluebert into the furious river. He stared, too overwhelmed to feel emotion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not so hard, was it?” Cluebert said, jumping down from his arms and onto the ground. “Do not underestimate me, Keith.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And at 16:20, twenty years before where Keith had just been, time returned to its path, finally heading towards its intended destination.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>what even</p><p>what</p></blockquote></div></div>
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